CAUSES OF BEING "STRESSED"
STIMULATION and EXCITEMENT

These lists may help you identify what is causing your dog to show the symptoms of being FASEDUP or stressed. They are not definitive lists - just suggestions - as each dog is unique and has its own levels of what it can tolerate and what it cannot. This is NOT a criticism of how you look after your dog, but merely a list of possible causes that the handler should think about and manage to help the dog to lower its long-term stress levels.

OVER ENRICHED ENVIRONMENT (both at home and out on walks etc)
Many dogs find movement and visual stimulus (St), Sounds (Snd), Smells (Sml) and even Tastes (Tst) and Touching (Tch) very exciting and find it almost impossible to rest and relax their brains while these distractions are around. These can trigger patterns of behaviour that the dog is unable to resist due to the strong Environmental Photos it has built up with these stimuli. Here are some common examples of too much stimulation -

• Other dogs in the household, who initiate behaviours and games when the dog is tired and would have rested if it had been by itself. (St) (Snd) (Sml)
• Family members moving around the house, or garden, or doing chores such as mowing the lawn, watering the garden. (St) (Snd)
• Visitors coming and going. (St) (Snd) (Sml) (Tst) (Tch)
• Children (either neighboring ones or family members) who move and act very differently to the adults that the dog is used to being around. Some dogs perceive small children as prey rather than grown-up humans as they move erratically and make sudden unexpected noises, particularly when playing football or running away from the dog screaming. (St) (Snd) (Sml)
• Passers by, traffic and bicycles - whether seen from the house or garden, the car, campsite, - in fact anywhere that the dog feels territorial or protective about (including the presence of the handler). This is particularly apparent when dogs that have been bred to be very sight sensitive to movement (such as sight hounds, herding breeds, earth dogs etc) are traveling in a vehicle. These perceive each approaching vehicle (from any direction) as potential threat as it comes closer to its "territory". The dog begins to pant - and possibly drool, pace and bark - as it becomes stressed and over reactive.(St) (Snd) (Sml)
• Running water - eg. Streams; rivers; waves; water from a hose or watering can (once again, these visual stimulus are very attractive to sight and herding breeds). (St) (Snd)
• Domestic appliances that move - eg. Lawn mowers; vacuum cleaners; washing machines or dryers. (St) (Snd) (Sml)
• Shadows or reflections - eg. Wind chimes or mobiles; overhanging trees or bushes; flashing lights from reflections off lights, TV or computer screens. (St)
• Wildlife such as birds, squirrels or rabbits - eg. Seen through the windows; while the dog is in the garden; when out on walks. (St) (Snd) (Sml)
• Hearing or seeing other dogs "working" or playing - eg. While waiting for its turn at a dog club, show; while out walking on or off lead. (St) (Snd) (Sml)
• Balls & other "throw" toys - Very addictive for both dog and owner! The dog keeps its long term adrenaline levels high by chasing these throw toys when they are thrown regularly on a walk, while the owner sees throwing the toy as an easy option to exercise the dog. All this type of exercise is doing is charging up the dog's body with adrenaline but the brain has very little exercise at all.
  

  Going on TOO MANY over-stimulating walks where the dog can hunt, scent and generally "overdose" on using its senses. These types of walks should not be taken too often and should be interspersed with less mentally and physically exhausting exercises or walks to keep a healthy balance. (St) (Snd) (Sml) (Tst) (Tch)

STERILE ENVIRONMENT (both at home and while out on walks etc)
Just as too much stimulation can lead to a dog becoming FASEDUP over a period of time, too little stimulation can cause similar symptoms and behavioural problems. If a dog becomes bored and mentally under stimulated it will become frustrated and anxious and can cause medical problems as well. LACK OF STIMULATION -

• Company - eg. Human, another dog or animal. Sadly too many dogs become stressed from loneliness, insufficient contact with other dogs in off lead situations so that they can communicate with each other using body language, and lack of mental or physical stimulation. This is particularly so of dogs bred to be Companion Dogs and thrive in the company of humans, or those dogs that were bred to work in a pack - eg. Scent hounds like the Beagle. An extreme example of this sensory depravation is a dog that is tied up and left alone for hours on end, day after day. The boredom and lack of companionship will drive the dog to extreme behavioural problems and shorten its life-span by illness caused by this long term stress.
• Movement or things to look at - Some dogs become FASEDUP from having nothing interesting to look at in their living quarters eg. Dogs in kennels become more relaxed and calm looking at the movement of nearby trees, flowers or shrubs gently blowing in the wind.

  Smells. Our human houses and gardens are so sterile or smothered in strong manmade scents (eg. Perfumes, smoking, cooking, petrol, diesel) that our pet dogs are starved of interesting organic scents that their amazing sense of smell was designed to use on a regular basis in its environment. This is why so many dogs get over excited by being allowed off lead in the countryside, fields or even the local park - their working instincts are crying out for environmental stimulation! By playing Mind Games or introducing interesting scents and tastes into the dog's garden (eg herbs or scented plants, manure, hay, straw, compost, seaweed, or flotsam from the beach) or house (eg. Unwashed clothing, large Kongs lightly smeared inside with different meat or fish pastes, peanut butter, cheese spread etc) the dog can satisfy these urges and stimulate its mind so that it feels like it has "worked".

• Sounds. Although dogs do need peace and quiet to rest, sometimes the silence can be too oppressive for them and make them fearful and anxious when they hear even the slightest sound. This can be overcome by having the radio or TV on in the background, or the sound of a ticking clock, or human voices from a hidden tape recorder.
• Textures. Dogs can get very stressed living with only one type of surface to live on all the time, particularly in kennels. I was extremely privileged to see amazing and innovative kennels in Finland (Kennel Juppsguard run by Anne and Eero Juppi) that was breed, boarding, and rescue kennels and whose dogs were relaxed and not the least bit stressed by their environment. Each dog had access to various runs throughout the day with either sand, soil, gravel or grass to walk on; logs, trees, platforms or stones to climb on; plants, shrubs and even water features to explore; the kennels were made mostly of wood and had screens to stop dogs seeing people or other dogs walking by, if the dogs could not cope with these visual distraction; the dogs had free access between their indoor kennel and the runs with different levels to rest and relax on, snuggling down in towels and blankets; and, what I found most satisfying to see was that the kennels had been designed in such a way that dogs could hide in the corners away from the prying eyes of any humans who happened to walk past their kennel's door - in other words the dogs had privacy.
• Tastes. Although a dog's sense of taste is far less acute than its sense of smell, sadly dogs are often deprived of interesting tastes or textures to explore in their mouths (particularly retrieving breeds such as the Labrador bred to have a strong instinct to carry things gently in their mouths). This is why so many dog take to stealing unwashed "smelly and tasty" clothing, snatching illicit food, eating manure, drinking from puddles etc. I know of one Labrador that is obsessed with eating other dogs excrement while out on walks - it enjoys tasting the different foods that the other dogs have digested. Sadly, processed dog food does little to alleviate the dogs need to find stimulating tastes in its environment as it is repetitive and bland, and dogs often turn to chewing household items and furniture in order to "get their fix". Once again, Kongs, Mind Games and perhaps looking at introducing the dog to eating RAW foods as part of, or instead of, its usual food (see Dr Ian Billinghurst book "Give Your Dog A Bone" and his website for more details).

FEARS & ANXIETIES

DECISIONS

UNCOMFORTABLE & PAIN

EXAMPLES OF BEING FASEDUP DURING TRAINING OR IN A SHOW ENVIRONMENT

DOG-GAMES WEBSITE - HOME PAGE